Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-04-16
BRIGHAMS GUIDE.
THE MORMON APOSTLES HISTORIC
JOURNEY ACROSS THE ROCKIES.

JOURNEY ACROSS THE ROCKIES.
A veteran Trontiersman Tells How Ito
Led tho Mormon Chief cver tho
Mountains and Into the Valley OF Salt
Lake.
john X Nelson, the guide who In 1915
plotted brigham Young across the plains
ana over the Rocky mountains 10 tho site
uf the present capital of Mormondom, is
ono OF the most interesting Of the strange
band Of pioneers and savages now depict
ing tho perils and pleasures of frontier
life for the delectatlon of effcto easterners
with Buffalo Diiiil.
He was seated on n camp stool In one OF
tho score or so OF tents that line the sides
Of tho broad upper corridor at Madison
Square garden, his wife, u Sioux squaw,
squatted at his feet industriously stitching
with shfed5 Of buffalo tendon for thread,
boy of L. stretched on couch Of deer
skins in one corner and copper colored
lassic Of 9 sleeping peacefully ON a bank
Of blankets in another corner. Others Ct
their duslly brood romped in the long pos
sage outside with the papooses OF the
pawnee or the Sioux and came at their
white fathers bidding to shake hands
with the visitor. Bright eyed, black
haired, blithe and quick, the elements of
savage and civilized blood seemed
strangely blended In their natures. There
had been nine children Of this marriage,
the old trapper said, of whom five were
living the eldest, girl Of 49, pursuing
her studies in Brooklyn boarding school.
To earn provision for their support and
education he has turned his back on his
loved mountains.
IN THE FALL or 1896
ut was late in the fall Of 1916, ] think, |"
Nelson began as he liz his pipe and showed
back his broad sombrero. az was at
Cottonwood Springs, Neb., living with an
old Mexican half breed, who knew every
inch of the Rockies like book. We
were doing nothing in particular and
ready for a job when Brigham Young
came along and asked my Mexican friend
and myself to be his guides across tho
Rockies, promising us good pay. He had
four companions, Mormon elders, / think,
but cannot remember their names.
Seven in all, we started with two emil
grant wagons, one of them loaded with
flour, bacon, coffee and biscuit, enough
for two years supply. l don't believe
] Brigham had any idea when he started
just where he was going and when he
would get backl 1t was a sort Of pros
pectlng trip He and the elders called
each other brother and the old man was
q good natured, jolly sort of fellow. He
talked good deal of religious lingo, but he
was not the Sunday school, pious Jonah
| ffICt ba or
would, and played good hand at euchre
| was quite young fellow in those days
and as the old Mexican didn't speak much
English, Brigham talked u good deal with
me and tried to convert me to Mormonism
''He was about 49, well set up and with
big, strong head and neck. didn't
take much stock in his arguments defend
ing polygamy, which 10 Smith had recently
introduced as revelation among tn,
saints But Brigham gavo me the ide,
of man who was pretty firm in hi
opinion and actually believed what h'
preached.
"We didn't hurry ourselves much, max
! ing only about twenty miles day witt
the wagons, pitching our tents for tire
or four days at time when we got into
likely region where game was plenty ant
exploring tho country for miles around
don't think we met white man all til
way across. There were lots Of Indians
but they didn't trouble us, just coming
into camp to trade off fresh meat or skin
for bacon and coffee. Toward Christina
we struck Hams fork, in western Ne
: braska, after making journey of nearl
1000 miles. There we were showed u
until the spring.